A Girl in Pearls & A Boy with Toys

Mama Advice - Last Call!

2012-01-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

If there's any other blogger Mama's who were wanting to offer advice in my new upcoming series "Pearly Wisdom" shoot me an email ASAP! I'm hoping to get the first installment out next week!!

Weekend Recap

2012-01-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

Friday night we went out to dinner to celebrate a friend’s recent new job! We headed to Hemenway’s in Providence – all I can say is “Delish!”

First thing Saturday morning we headed up to Boston for an over night that was a Christmas gift from my parents.

We stayed at the Copley Marriott – it was great! So much to do at an (indoor) walking distance – since it was snowing!

We walked through the mall and to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch (Yum!) Have you seen their (newer) Skinnylicious menu? They have TONS of options that are all less than 600 calories. I got an amazing (huge!) salad – so so good!

Then we did some shopping… Check out this outfit we saw at the Gap! No, we didn’t buy it (yet) – we’ll wait for a coupon or sale!

In the evening, we headed to this awesome bar called Drink. How it works is the bartender’s ask you what spirits and flavors you like. They take it and bring you back a custom (unique) drink! And if you don’t like it, no harm no foul. They take it back and make you something else What an experience!

Then we met up with a couple friends, had a fabulous dinner at Stephanie’s on Newbury and then hit up a nearby bar; Daisy Buchanan’s. What a FUN night!

Sunday we headed back home and picked Jack (at my Mom’s) and Batman (at the dogsitter’s). They both were well-behaved and got good reports!

Sunday night we went back to my Mom’s to watch the Pats game!

Hope everyone had fabulous weekends! xo

Celeb Round-up!

2012-01-23T06:58:00.000-05:00

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are having a baby! Despite their on-again/off-again romance & engagement, apparently these two are “on again!”

source

B. Lively & R. Reynolds still going strong! Despite their age difference (she’s 24, he’s 35), I like them together!

source

Heidi Klum & Seal have not split – yet! I loved that they always did those fun vow renewals; I’m hoping these two stick it out – they give hope to Hollywood!

source

The Duke and Duchess get a puppy! How adorable is this little family?

source

Emily Maynard is the next Bachelorette! I’m honestly not all that thrilled about this but who are we kidding… I’ll probably watch! Thoughts?

source

And speaking of the Bachelor/Bachelorette – the house is up for rent! That’d certainly be fun to live in for a little while!

source

Batman Sundays

2012-01-22T08:25:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite pics as of late…

2 Giveaways!

2012-01-21T08:20:00.003-05:00

There are two giveaways going on now over at She Made That?! [A Collection of Fabulous Etsy Shops]! Head over there now to see giveaways from

Mitten Momma

and

Hi, Lane!

Calling Etsy Shop Owners!

2012-01-17T12:44:00.003-05:00

There's a group of us Etsy Shop Owners on Facebook who use this group page {She Made That} to reach out to a broader audience. It's a great way to market to other followers who may not have found your shop otherwise!
If you're interested in joining this group (entry giveaway is required), send me a message!

Golden Globe Fashion!

2012-01-17T06:22:00.000-05:00

Okay – let’s talk Golden Glam!

All images from MSN Wonderwall

Here’s who I LOVED

Reese Witherspoon

Jessica Alba

Heidi Klum

Kate Beckinsale

These are the ladies I liked…

Sofia Vergara

Elle Macpherson

Julianne Moore

I’m calling this category “I like this… but I hate…”

I love her look and the silhouette of her dress… but I hate the tie dye

Sarah Michelle Gellar

I like her dress & look…

Natalie Portman

but I don’t like the mysterious “poof”… reminds me of Cinderella’s evil stepsisters.

I like her overall look… but not her belt

Emma Stone

I like the back… but not the front.

Claire Danes

And the final category (and I’m really disappointed that this category is so massive!) is looks I DISLiked.

Michelle Williams

Madonna

Zooey Deschanel

Lea Michele

Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Jessica Biel

Dianna Agron

Selma Hayek

What are your thoughts on Golden Globe Fashion? Faves?

If you did a post on it, link up so we can all see it!

Miss America–Gown Edition!

2012-01-16T08:36:00.000-05:00

So what did you tune into Saturday night? Tim Tebow vs. Tom Brady or Miss America 2012?

Well with hubby being off working, it was the pageant for me!

I snapped some photos of the gown portion of the evening (yeah, I know, some of them are blurry and just not good pictures haha but you get the idea!)

So who’s your favorite?

I noticed lots of neutrals – whites/creams/silver & gold hues. I wonder if those become prom and/or wedding/bridesmaids trends?

If they made any comments explaining the dress, I tried to include it below their state name
Miss Louisiana

Miss Iowa

Miss Illinois

Miss South Carolina (She commented on having "not a bead on my gown" because "it's the girl inside that really counts")

Miss New York (She commented that her gown is a mixture of the "modern red carpet girl" and a little Marilyn Monroe)

Miss Wisconsin (She commented that the top of her dress looks like Kate Middleton's dress)

Miss Florida

Miss Tennessee

Miss Arizona

Miss Texas (She said that it reminds her of Britney spears in her “Toxic” music video)

Reminder of B. Spears’ outfit that she is referring to:

Miss California

Miss Oklahoma

Miss Alabama

Batman Sundays (Brothers)

2012-01-15T08:19:00.000-05:00

Some recent ones of the 2 boys; including Christmas…

Etsy, Eh?

2012-01-14T10:39:00.002-05:00

I have some big news to all of my lovely friends up north; A Girl in Pearls {THE SHOP} will now be shipping to Canada!

Also, don't forget about the promo code FIRSTSNOW for an additional 20% off already reduced pricing!

Happy Shopping, dolls! xo

My First Pinterest-inspired Project!

2012-01-12T22:29:00.004-05:00

So I saw THIS PIN on Pinterest and thought "I'm SO doing this!"
I found the template for the "Christmas Card" cover HERE, printed it on thick glossy paper @ Staples, put some gold "2011" stickers on, hole-punched all my Christmas photo cards, bought some colorful binder rings and voilà! My very first
successful Pinterest project haha!
I'm excited to start this for every year and put them out around the holidays. (I put ours first haha, that's okay right?) I also threw some random pictures of Jack in Christmas gear in with the other cards too!

Extra 20% off Sale!

2012-01-11T19:35:00.002-05:00

On top of the 20% price drop from 2 weeks ago, I'm offering an additional 20% off this week in honor of the snow we got! Use promo code FIRSTSNOW at checkout
Happy Shopping!

Mom’s Wedding Weekend Recap 2 of 2

2012-01-11T08:33:00.000-05:00

Hanging out with Jack before the ceremony…

And then it begins… I was so nervous walking down that big staircase!

The ceremony…

Jack was SO well-behaved. There was one point where it was quiet and he started doing his loud “talking” but everyone just laughed!

The first few dances & the welcome toast:

This picture just makes me laugh… It says “Please No Food or Beverage On the Piano; Thank You” Oops

Godiva buffet & cupcake display

DANCE PARTY!

What a Night!

Thanks for checking it out

Mom’s Wedding Weekend Recap 1 of 2

2012-01-10T06:29:00.000-05:00

2 Nights before the wedding we had a girls night mani/pedi party! We had champagne, fruit & chocolates – what a blast!

Then Friday was the big day! We headed to the salon for hair and makeup (shoutout to Kristin Greene for the FABULOUS makeup once again!) Then back to my Mom’s house to get ready.

Her Attire:

And Mine:

All dressed and ready to go!

My bouquet and the tree in the entryway to Blithewold

One teaser from when the boys arrived… the rest of the photos to come in Part 2! Stay Tuned!

Batman Sundays

2012-01-08T08:14:00.000-05:00

Batman’s Christmas handkerchief…

BEFORE

and AFTER

We’re lucky he’s so patient with us…

Today is...

2012-01-06T10:17:00.003-05:00

My Mom's wedding day! I'm not sure I've mentioned it yet on the blog, but she's been engaged for like hmm 5 years ?! And they finally decided to actually get hitched! Will come back with a recap and pics; happy Friday all!

PS This is my dress! I guess you can call me "Matron of Honor"!
Have a fabulous weekend! xo

Weekend Recap

2012-01-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was FULL of FUN!

Friday night I organized a Girls Night Out for my Mom. She thought her and I were grabbing dinner. Rather than showing up in my car, I showed up in a limo.. filled with 6 of her friends and sisters! She was SO surprised; she SCREAMED! We all went out to eat and had a fabulous night :)

The next day was New Years Eve and we finally got to celebrate Christmas with my Dad & family! It was a lot of fun; here are a few pics:

Oh and here is my #charmedarm on New Years Eve haha! I got some new bracelets for Christmas and I just love them <3

Then of course it was New Years Day! We celebrated by taking all the Christmas decorations down while Jack napped; what a crazy day ha!

Aquarium Trip!

2012-01-03T08:37:00.000-05:00

Last week we took Jack to the aquarium for the first time. He had a BLAST; trying to grab the fish, talk to the sea lions – what a day!

Here’s a few pics…

Looking at the whales and sitting near the sharks

At the sea lion show and playing with the fish!

New Years "Resolutions"

2012-01-02T10:29:00.003-05:00

I'm not big into making "typical resolutions" like "Go to the gym 3 times a week", because then if I don't hit them I get down on myself and throw the resolution out the window for the rest of the year. What I like to do is recognize & evaluate "problem" spots in my life and make a conscious effort to focus on them for the year!
So this year my evaluation came up with this: Be "Supermom" without forgetting how to be the "old me"... meaning exercising, eating right, taking better care of my hair, skin and nails and... getting back down to wedding weight.

What are yours? If you did a blog post about them, link up!

Batman Sundays (New Years!)

2012-01-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

Last year Batman and I “celebrated” at home together so there are no pictures but two years ago we had a little party at our house so here is the Batman New Years flashback!

(Note to self: Take more pictures of Batman THIS New Years!!)

Holiday Flashback–New Years Style!

2011-12-30T08:10:00.000-05:00

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011 Recap!

2011-12-29T08:09:00.000-05:00

I’ve enjoyed doing this the last couple of years (2009; 2010) so I figured why stop now!

A Year in Review

I was pregnant, it was cold, we got a lot of snow, Jay DJed a lot before the baby arrived… The list goes on and on but the end result? I took a lot of pictures of Batman this month…

Out with friends on the one night this month we went out!

Had a Valentine’s Day for the books! Romantic dinner, alcohol-free champagne, a surprise ring that I’ve always had my eye on… Last one as a family of 2

Had my first baby shower

Remodeled our bathroom (well started in December, ENDED in February!)

Before & After

Celebrated the baptism of a special little boy

Went to a bridal shower

Took maternity pictures

Went to a housewarming party

Baby Shower #2

Celebrated 27

Easter

Got up early to watch the Royal Wedding

Baby Shower #3

Celebrated Mom’s birthday

Welcomed Jackson Robert to our family

Had a playdate for Batman to meet his new girlfriend, Abbey

Visited friends in Westerly & walked the boys to the beach

Family birthday party

Went to a concert in the park & got our first full family picture

Celebrated Dad’s birthday

Celebrated the 4th at a friend’s cookout

Went to a surprise 30th birthday party for a friend in Norwalk

Itsy Bitsy Yoga

Went to the church’s Italian festival

Baptized the little guy

Went to a shower that requested we fill the bride’s wine cabinet – holy wine!

Celebrated Batman’s second birthday

Got hit by Irene… Lost power for almost a week

Celebrated our 2nd anniversary in Newport

Celebrated a special girl’s 1st Birthday

Made a onesie bouquet for my SIL’s baby shower

Celebrated a good friend’s 27th birthday

Went pumpkin picking

Celebrated at my step-sister’s gorgeous wedding

Went to Oktoberfest in Newport

Had a girls weekend trip in NYC

Celebrated Halloween

Took family photos at Middletown Beach

Welcomed my new niece into the family

Started a weekly rotating playdate group

Took the boys to meet Santa

Hosted my 3rd Thanksgiving

Met Santa at the Town Holiday Lighting Festival

Put up the tree

Had a Rudolph viewing party

Met Santa and an elf at our house

Celebrated an adorable little boy’s 2nd Birthday

Won 1st place at an Ugly Sweater Party

Celebrated Jay’s birthday with family…

And then the next night with friends out for Hibachi

Celebrated Christmas #1 (12/18)

Had an ornament exchange & dinner at our house

Celebrated Christmas #2 (12/23)

Celebrated Christmas #3 (12/24)

Celebrated Christmas #4 (12/25)

Looking forward to what 2012 brings for us!

Christmas Recap!

2011-12-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

Christmas eve eve

Christmas eve

Christmas Day

Christmas Print Clearance!

2011-12-27T13:46:00.001-05:00

Going on now at my shop! $5 each or 3/$10; get them for a limited time!

THE SHOP

Batman Sundays (Christmas!)

2011-12-25T08:54:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

Today (all day!) is our Big Italian Christmas Eve at my uncle's house (the 7 fishes and all!)

Merry Christmas Eve :)

Holiday Flashback - Christmas Style!

2011-12-23T09:49:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas - over the years!

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Celeb Roundup!

2011-12-22T10:11:00.001-05:00

We haven’t done one of these in a while; figured it was about time to catch up with Hollywood!

What do you think about B’s preggo look? The leopard tights… not sure

source

Another expecting Mama – Kourtney K with son Mason; seriously how cute is he? He seems to have grown so fast! Look at his shoes omg…

source

Supposedly these two are engaged! Anyone know if it’s just a dirty rumor?

source

JWoww announces a line of tan-line-free bikinis; these pictures are too scandi for my blogtaste… but you can check them out here

Prince William can dance! Haha check out his moves:

Side note: I love the duchess looking on laughing at him. LOVE them

source

Adam Lambert arrested! After a fight with his boyfriend outside of a bar! Scandiiiii

source

Oh how Pinteresting… Christmas Style!

2011-12-21T07:35:00.000-05:00

A few things that have caught my eye…

source

Our Christmas Card!

2011-12-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to the lovely folks at Shutterfly and to my fabulous photog friend Mandy Mayberry for making this year's card possible!

Without further ado...
I LOVE seeing other designs/styles people use for their holiday cards, so if you shared yours on your blog, please comment with the link so I can check it out! Thanks!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-19T20:20:00.004-05:00

I'm excited to announce the winner of the UPrinting Stickers giveaway!

It is lucky entry #5!

Congratulations to Kelly of Mommy's Kicking Cancer's Ass!

Free Shipping Day

2011-12-16T05:57:00.001-05:00

I'm thrilled to announce that A Girl in Pearls [The Shop] is participating in Free Shipping Day today!

Just use code FREEDAY for free shipping on your order! Guaranteed by Christmas Eve!
(domestic orders only - sorry!)

Batman Sundays: Brothers!

2011-12-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

Batman is always watching over Jack…

“All good, Ma”

“Uh oh; where’d he go… Jackkkk”

“Oh he’s fine; phew. Kid stresses me out. I need a nap”

UPrinting Stickers Giveaway!

2011-12-09T22:41:00.001-05:00

Okay here’s the deal!

You can win 250-count of Customizable Stickers for one winner!
- 2x3.5" 70lb Label Matte, Front only printing
- 4 Business Days Turnaround time
- Free US shipping only

So, how do you win?!

1. Like UPrinting Sticker Printing Page and share how you would use the stickers if you win the giveaway.

2. Tweet how you will use the stickers if you win the giveaway and at the end of the message include the UPrinting Sticker Printing URL (http://www.uprinting.com/sticker-printing.html)
NOTE: Make sure to use the FULL URL (http://www.uprinting.com/sticker-printing.html) and not use any URL shortening tool for the tweet. Twitter will automatically shorten the URL for you.

3. Be a follower of A Girl in Pearls

Restrictions:
Open to US residents only, must be 18 and above to enter.

Disclaimer:

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive stickers for hosting.

Giveaway will run for one week; GOOD LUCK!

Calling all Ugly Sweaters!

2011-12-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, we’re going to see a lot of these…

That’s right! We’re heading to our friend’s house for an Ugly Sweater Party!

FUN pictures to come!

Oh and how cute are these invites they sent out?!

GIVEAWAYS

2011-12-07T06:32:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that there are TEN giveaways from ten fabulous Etsy shop owners over at She Made That?! this week!

If you re-post on your blog or twitter be sure to let your followers know to mention your name/blog name so you can get extra entries!

Some of the items include:
this adorable cuff bracelet
a custom camera strap
and from my shop you ask? A $25 store credit for anything in the store!

The stockings were hung…

2011-12-06T07:42:00.000-05:00

by the staircase with care! And the tree is up!

Here’s a few photos of our decorating over the last couple of weeks…

Tis the season!

GIVEAWAY WEEK!

2011-12-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

You do NOT want to miss this! Over at She Made That?! [A collection of Fabulous Etsy Shops], there is currently a week-long giveaway going on from EVERY.SINGLE.SHOP!!!

Head on over!!!

She Made That!?

Batman Sundays

2011-12-04T07:57:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we had all the Christmas decorations scattered around the living room as we began putting up the tree. Batman, tired from it all, decided to take a little nap right on his stocking! I swear, this was not posed!

Batman Sundays (Thanksgiving Edition)

2011-11-27T09:12:00.000-05:00

Just a few photos of your little furry friend from Thanksgiving this year :)

Playing with his brother

The boys having a heart to heart...

Cyber Monday Sale Starts Early!

2011-11-25T21:09:00.002-05:00

A Girl in Pearls [the Etsy shop!] is starting it's Cyber Monday sale early! From now until Monday evening, use code CYBERMONDAY for 25% off your total purchase! Happy Shopping xoxo

Some recent custom orders:

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:17:00.002-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for in this family!

Wishing a wonderful Thanksgiving to you and your families!

Santa - I KNOW HIM!

2011-11-22T07:24:00.002-05:00

Last night was Pet Night at the local mall so the whole crew packed up and went to meet Santa!

Ho Ho Ho from my little family to yours <3

We're Still Alive...

2011-11-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

We've just been really sick! A stomach bug/virus has been circulating throughout our house for the last couple of weeks and it has been ROUGH!

Just wanted to let you know where I've been :) Oh and today was somebody's 6 month birthday!

Batman Sundays

2011-11-13T08:34:00.001-05:00

I think it's time...
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's time that Batman heads to the spa for a haircut!

Poor guy can't even see...

Winners, Winners, Chicken Dinners!

2011-11-09T20:15:00.004-05:00

Giveaway winners that is!

These 3 lucky bloggers have just won 25 free photo cards from Shutterfly!

To determine the winners, I ran random.org 3 times :)

#8
Alison from Life and Times of Alison & Justin!

#12
Jenny from Life, Love, and Marathons!

#19
Lindsey from Running Down a Dream!

Congrats ladies!

New Etsy Facebook Page!

2011-11-08T06:16:00.002-05:00

Big News this week! We've officially launched "She Made That?!" [A Collection of Fabulous Etsy Shops] on Facebook!
So what is it exactly? Well... pretty much what it sounds like! It's a community of hand-selected shop owners that are dedicated to providing you with updates on their shops, participating in giveaways and offering special promo codes to it's fans!

Head here to check it out: She Made That?!

To kick off this new community, be on the look out for a WEEK OF GIVEAWAYS starting December 1st!

Oh and don't worry, the community of shops will at least be doubling within the next couple of weeks; so stay tuned!

Batman Sundays (Halloween)

2011-11-06T08:23:00.000-05:00

When I did my Halloween recap earlier in the week, I purposefully didn’t share any photos of Batman so that I could post them today! But also because, we had a costume all picked out that coordinated SO well with Jack’s and when we went to put it on him, it was too small! Luckily, we had an orange and black “Boo Crew” shirt that we could put on him!

BFF’s already…

Batman showing he can be a dinosaur too…

Halloween Recap!

2011-11-03T09:43:00.000-04:00

My little guy and his BFF’s Mickey and Minnie!

Now don’t be scared… It’s just Jack… Jack the DINOSAUR!

Lots of cousins scarily dressed up!

Some of the family pups!

Oh, AND we ran into one of Jack’s little girlfriend’s from daycare!

All his loot haha Is it Halloween or Christmas? Calm down, grandparents!

Shutterfly Holiday Card Giveaway!

2011-11-02T08:40:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is designing and sending out photo cards from Shutterfly! In addition to that, I LOVE receiving them & decorating the fridge with them! I get SO excited about sending them out that to contain myself, I make up a rule. The rule is: I cannot send out my Christmas cards until I receive my first one. Then, it’s fair game!

The reason I always do a photo card is because those are my favorite to receive so I assume everyone else feels the same way haha! In the past few years we’ve used an engagement picture (2008), a wedding picture (2009), a Batman & ultrasound picture (2010), but this year it will of course feature Jack! (And let’s be honest, probably Batman too!) Last year’s card was one of my favorites we’ve ever sent.

The reason why I turn to Shutterfly for my photo card needs is they have a TON of variety. They always have tons of new designs every year. I love being able to narrow down the selections by # of photos and size of card and seeing ALL of the many options!

A few I’m considering for this year’s card are:

If you’re on the fence with where to order your cards from, I’d highly recommend Shutterfly. They create great quality cards; I’ve never been disappointed!

Now onto the GIVEAWAY! Three of my lucky readers will receive a promo code for 25 FREE CARDS from Shutterfly!

To enter, just tell me which card you’d pick and who’s picture would be in it!

Contest runs for one week; Winners will be emailed (so make sure you leave your email address!)

Earth-Shattering Celeb News!

2011-10-31T20:58:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you've all heard (well unless you live under a rock...) but Hollywood released TWO major stories today; on Halloween of all days!

First, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are officially filing for divorce. That's right, after a 72-day marriage, she is citing "irreconcilable differences". So, are we surprised?

Source

And to think... only a short time after Nick Lachey & Kelly Ripa poked fun at them - how funny is this?

Source

And, the world's worst-kept secret, Jessica Simpson FINALLY announces she is preggers! Love that she dressed as a "Mummy" haha!

Source

Holiday Flashback Day 7 (Happy Halloween!)

2011-10-31T11:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Jack and Batman both have their costumes hanging up and ready to go; I'll be sure to post plenty of pictures later in the week!!

Last year for Halloween, everyone dressed up as pregnant women to tell my family the big news!

Holiday Flashback Day 6 (Batman Sundays)

2011-10-30T09:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Ad!

2011-10-29T13:16:00.000-04:00

Happy 27th to my fabulous college roommate, Ada!

Have a wonderful weekend celebrating with your adorable little family xo

Holiday Flashback Day 5

2011-10-29T09:18:00.004-04:00

Holiday Flashback Day 4

2011-10-28T09:16:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, D!

2011-10-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

Happy 27th to one of my fabulous college girlfriends, Daniella!

Was so fun celebrating with you last weekend! xo

Holiday Flashback Day 3

2011-10-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

Holiday Flashback Day 2

2011-10-26T09:09:00.000-04:00

Celeb Round Up!

2011-10-25T12:55:00.000-04:00

Haven’t done one of these in a WHILE! I won’t make it super long, but I will make a conscious effort to do it more often!

Blake Lively Ryan Reynolds dating; seen leaving from his place together on/around his birthday. I think they look cute together; can’t wait to see more!

Source: People

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon share photos of their twins! How adorable are these two? (The babies haha, the parents aren’t so bad either I guess!)

Source: People

Oh and they also shared their Halloween picture; a family costume. I love it!

Source: E! Online

The new “Mrs. Humphries” (she gets the quotes since she won’t actually be changing her name…) celebrates her 31st birthday alongside her new hubby and family. Love Khloe & Lamar; they look great!

Source: E! Online

Kevin from American Pie welcomes a son, Nolan River. Seriously, what happened to this guy after the AP series?

Source: E! Online

DeAnna Pappas gets married! The bachelor contestant/Bachelorette finally finds love. I got confused when I first saw this because I thought this was Michael; until reading on and being reminded that Michael has a twin! DeAnna married Stephen, not Michael!

Source: People

Holiday Flashback Day 1

2011-10-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

Week in Review

2011-10-23T09:32:00.000-04:00

It’s been a busy week! To start off, Jack celebrated his 5 month birthday with… (the start of) pink eye! Or possibly an ear infection. But luckily we caught/diagnosed & treated it early and after only one day of eye-goop antibiotics, it looked MUCH better. 5 days later, we’re still on it but it’s basically gone (phew!)

Here’s a couple pics of the “monster eye” as I so lovingly referred to it and his 5 month picture (which he was still a trooper for!)

This week we also celebrated Jack’s Papa’s birthday!

This week also got really cold, so we got to try out some of his winter gear! We also learned that he’s not a big Shrek fan…

Saturday, we went MOH dress shopping for my Mom’s wedding! (this January!) I found this lovely one shoulder from Bill Levkoff. Thankfully, the one on the rack fits pretty well because it’d be cutting it to close to custom order one!

Hope you all had fabulous weeks! xo

NYC Weekend Recap!

2011-10-19T08:03:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a (college) girls reunion weekend in the Big Apple!

We stayed at this GORGEOUS hotel, The New York Palace. Seriously one of the nicest ones I’ve ever stayed in! Oh and the view from our room? The Cathedral!

Saturday morning we walked around SoHo all day, doing lots of shopping in the street markets and lots of window shopping at Dash and some of the other fabulous stores in the area!

From one of the street vendors, I picked up this for the little guy…

After lunch, we bravely adventured to the Museum of Sex… Well, all I’ll say is That was Interesting!

Here’s some PG pictures from our visit…

Bondage boots & monkey kissing

For dinner, we headed to the delicious Tao (love this place!)

Afterwards, we headed to 230 Fifth; an awesome rooftop bar in the city with all these heat lamps to keep you warm! What a memorable night!

Batman Sundays

2011-10-16T08:12:00.002-04:00

It's that time of the year! Carving pumpkins? No... Dressing up in costumes? Nope... For Batman, it's time that his seasonal allergies have come back to haunt him. Poor guy... We recently got him a cortisone shot at the vet to help with the scratching and biting. However, it's had some side effects. Besides drinking a TON (and you know what comes along with that), he's overly tired and (in my opinion) a little depressed :( I've called the vet and they said it should only last another week or so...

He's not his best lately

NYC Weekend Plans!

2011-10-14T07:11:00.000-04:00

I'm off! Today I'm headed to NYC for a girls weekend!
Hope the boys survive without me :)

Have a fabulous weekend xo

Monster Winnings

2011-10-12T07:44:00.000-04:00

Back in April, I won this fabulous giveaway from From Mrs. to Mama and I thought I’d share it with you all. Why am I doing this 6 months later? Because it was onesie and I had to wait for it to fit the little guy!

It came Allie over at Table for 3 from her Etsy shop called Full House Creations. I’ve been so excited for Jack to wear it and now it finally fits; beware the scary monster!

Thanks again Allie!

Fall Weekend Recap

2011-10-11T07:06:00.000-04:00

This weekend two of my girlfriends came up to spend a few days with us!

Jack gets spoiled rotten by his aunties; he barely got put down, the lucky guy!

Here’s a few pics:

Saturday, Jack went to spend some time with his grandparents and we headed to Newport for the annual Oktoberfest celebration! It was a beautiful day; we really lucked out!

Hope you all had fabulous weekends!

Batman Sundays

2011-10-09T08:54:00.000-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you how Batman REALLY needed a haircut? I mean… he was having trouble seeing… poor guy (*cough bad parents*)

Reminder:

Well he’s all cleaned up now (and ready for football season!)

Fun Weekend Plans!

2011-10-07T08:50:00.000-04:00

This weekend a few of my girlfriends are coming to town and we’re headed to a big Oktoberfest celebration! Woo-hoo!

Hope everyone has fabulous weekends!

Wedding Weekend Recap!

2011-10-04T08:19:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was my step-sister’s wedding at the Five Bridge Inn in Rehoboth, MA. We had an absolute blast!

First up, the ceremony…

And then the real fun began at the reception! There was a ton of dancing, a photo booth, a candy buffet and cupcakes!

Weekend Recap!

2011-09-27T09:38:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was a busy fall weekend! After me being in Connecticut for work last week & Jay being in California for work, we could have used a nice, quiet, relaxing weekend… but that’s just not our style!

Friday night was my friend Jess’ birthday party. Jack wasn’t feeling so hot (just a little cold) so he was in his PJ’s and we didn’t stay very long… Here’s a few pics:

Next weekend, we have a big family wedding and I’ve been waiting until the very last minute to find a dress (still trying to get rid of all that pesky baby weight!). After all day Saturday looking, I finally found one that I deemed “acceptable”. I don’t love it; but it will do the job! (Side note: Why are all of the dresses these days more like semi-long shirts? For a 5’7” gal, it’s pretty difficult to find a length-appropriate dress!)

I couldn’t find a picture of it online in the right color but I found this one in black & white. The one I got is a deep purple.

Sunday, one of my college girlfriends came by with her beau to meet Jack and then we went to my aunt & uncle’s 25th wedding anniversary/vow renewal celebration. I don’t have many pictures, but here’s one of Jack (clearly feeling a little better… still not 100%).

Later that day, we went to a local farm to get some mums and pumpkins for the front stairs… “Mommy’s Little Pumpkin” wasn’t too thrilled but it was still fun!

Hope you all had fabulous weekends!

Weekend Recap?

2011-09-22T20:51:00.001-04:00

Is it already Thursday night and I’m just getting to last weekend’s recap? Well, that’s embarrassing! Truth be told, I was away the first half of this week for work, so I’ll cut myself some slack

Anyways, last weekend we had my long-time girlfriend’s daughter’s first birthday! It was Jack’s first kid’s birthday party and he had a blast watching all the big kids run around!

Here’s some pics:

On Sunday we had my SIL’s baby shower!

I also wanted to share with you the onesie bouquet my Mom & I put together for her! I got the idea from this blog (that I found on Pinterest of course!) Since my SIL does not know what she is having, we stuck with the neutrals! It had 8 onesies, some socks and some facecloths!

And the good news about this late weekend recap post? Tomorrow is already Friday! Yay!

Oh and also, in case you hadn’t heard… my good friend Lindsey is having a fabulous giveaway! Go check her out!

Batman Sundays

2011-09-18T06:11:00.000-04:00

Batman is so hairy...
and so dirty...
He says if we won't bring him to the spa, he's just going to jump in the shower himself!
Luckily, he has an appt. to go this week!

Weekend Plans!

2011-09-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

We have a busy busy weekend (well, and week!) planned!

Tonight, my Mom & I are doing a few things for Sunday... we'll get to that later...

Saturday, we're headed to this adorable little girl's 1st Birthday Party!

Then Sunday is my SIL's baby shower! I'll share some fun details after :)
Here's her & my brother with Jack on baptism day.
Then Monday I leave for a work trip for a few days! Hope the boys all survive ha! (Only half laughing, half serious!)

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Alex & Ani

2011-09-12T21:48:00.000-04:00

Have we talked about this? I’m thinking we haven’t… but we need to!

I know Alex & Ani has been around for 10+ years, but in my world? This fabulous jewelry is front and center in my 2011 wardrobe! Which to be honest, surprises the heck out of me that I didn’t know about it sooner… since it’s a RHODE ISLAND-based company. I love that they are created right here…

Here’s the one’s I’m rocking as of now & the reasons for some of them.

I’d love to hear which ones you have and their meanings!

Friend

From Jay… since we call eachother “friend”

Large J

For Jen… duh

Mini J

For Jack

Yay

Since I seriously overuse this word…

Block Initials

B for Batman & F for Friese

Star of Venus

Love Beauty Inspiration

Newport Bridge

Jay got this for me last weekend while we were in Newport for our anniversary

Horseshoe

For luck

NYC Subway Token

This one doesn’t have any huge sentiment, but I like it because it reminds me of my college girlfriends. It was with them that I took my first, and the majority of my subsequent trips to NYC

Zodiac

Aries… My sign

Crystal

Aquamarine… My birthstone

My collection… #charmedarms if you will!

Batman Sundays

2011-09-11T05:54:00.000-04:00

Daddy spoiled Batman and bought him some new toys recently! Batman lovesss them

Winner & Anniversary Weekend!

2011-09-07T21:23:00.001-04:00

Before I get to the recap of our anniversary weekend, we have a winner of the GreenTeaDAILY giveaway is…

Entry #1

Macs Girl of Just a Jersey Girl!

Congrats Macs Girl! Shoot me an email!

Now, onto our anniversary weekend recap!

For our 2nd anniversary as hubby and wife, we got a great offer… to use my in-law’s timeshare in Newport while they stayed at our house to baby/dog/house sit!

Saturday morning we headed to the outlets to do some Labor Day sale shopping, and only ended up with bags from Carter’s; go figure!

Then we headed down to Newport, and had some drinks on the rooftop of our hotel’s balcony… check out this view…

Then we got ready and headed to a fabulous Italian restaurant that was some of the best food we’ve had in a while! It was a gorgeous night so we ate outside.

Sunday was beautiful so we walked around and did some shopping.

Jay bought me the Newport bangle to add to my Alex & Ani collection…

In the afternoon, we went on a cocktail cruise on the Rum Runner! Then headed to a Mexican restaurant for dinner…

It was a great little getaway!

And finally, I wanted to share with you page 2 of our anniversary book! This year was Jay’s turn to make the page. How do you think he did?

Reminder of the backstory of the book and my page last year is here!

Batman Sundays

2011-09-04T09:06:00.000-04:00

Well... I guess somebody should enjoy the activity mat...

Happy Anniversary!

2011-09-03T09:35:00.002-04:00

It's our anniversary weekend! We were married on 9/5/09.

To celebrate, we are heading to Newport for the weekend while the in-laws stay at our house with Jack & Batman!

Have a fabulous weekend xoxo

Oh and a Happy Anniversary shout-out to my lovely friend Tracy & her hubby of Then I Got to Thinking!

Giveaway (and a Winner!)

2011-08-31T12:45:00.000-04:00

Side note: I still don’t have power! But I went to a local Starbucks to announce the winner and a new giveaway! (Yes, I clearly love you all!)

Before we get to this week’s new giveaway, I have a winner to announce from last week. The winner of the custom print of their choice from my new Etsy shop is…

Entry #30 Allie from Living the Adventures!

Congrats Allie! Shoot me an email when you get this… but since I still don’t have power, it may be a couple of days until I get back to you – thanks for your patience!

Didn’t win? (Sad) But don’t worry! There is still a 10% off code active for all my wonderful blog friends!
Enter code: BLOG10

Now onto this week’s giveaway! It comes from GreenTeaDAILY.

Here’s a little more about GreenTeaDAILY:

GreenTeaDAILY is a social commerce company that started in Orem, UT

We have some retail stores in local malls where we sample customers and educate them on the many benefits of Green Tea. We noticed that we had hundreds of customers returning to the stores because they heard from a friend what it did for them. Which is why we have developed a referral program that rewards our customers for doing just that.

Now… onto the giveaway! GreenTeaDAILY is giving away 60 count variety box of GreenTeaDAILY (that retails for $60.00!)

So, how do you win?!

To enter:

Mandatory

Be a public follower of A Girl in Pearls

“Like” GreenTeaDAILY on Facebook

Extra Entry

Tweet about this giveaway, linking to my blog

Blog about this giveaway, linking to my blog

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (easier to count – thanks!)

This giveaway will run for one week.

Out of Order

2011-08-30T08:59:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends,
Our town has been hit by Irene and we have been out of power since 6 am Sunday morning.
Obviously, all blog posts have been put on hold, including the giveaway (that will stay open until I'm back online).
Thank you for your patience and I hope you all fared well in the storm!
xo

Batman is 2!

2011-08-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday was Batman’s birthday; he turned 2!

We had a little celebration for him

Announcement and a Giveaway! (And a Winner!)

2011-08-24T06:45:00.000-04:00

Before I get to today’s announcement & giveaway, I’d like to announce the winner of last week’s giveaway. The winner of the Near the Willows necklace is #10

Sara of Life in These Times…

Congratulations, Sara! Shoot me an email and you can choose which necklace you want!

Now onto today’s giveaway… It comes from this new Etsy shop called…

That’s right; I opened an Etsy shop!

Right now, I’m solely selling announcement-style prints (for children, weddings, pets…) but I have lots of ideas for new products at times goes on!

Here’s a few samples:

Head over to my shop to see even more designs!

A Girl in Pearls on Etsy

Now… for the giveaway!

I’ll be giving away a print of their choice to one lucky winner (And there’s no expiration!)

To enter… two simple things

Be a public follower of A Girl in Pearls, the blog

Favorite A Girl in Pearls, the Etsy shop

Giveaway will run for one week; the winner will be announced on Wednesday. Oh AND because I’m in a particularly good mood today… for a limited time, I’m offering a discount code especially for my blog followers!

Enter: BLOG10 for 10% off your first purchase

Batman Sundays

2011-08-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

Some Batman iPhone photos over the past few weeks :)

A Girl in Pearls & A Boy with Toys

Mama Advice - Last Call!

Weekend Recap

Celeb Round-up!

Batman Sundays

2 Giveaways!

Calling Etsy Shop Owners!

Golden Globe Fashion!

Miss America–Gown Edition!

Batman Sundays (Brothers)

Etsy, Eh?

My First Pinterest-inspired Project!

Extra 20% off Sale!

Mom’s Wedding Weekend Recap 2 of 2

Mom’s Wedding Weekend Recap 1 of 2

Batman Sundays

Today is...

Weekend Recap

Aquarium Trip!

New Years "Resolutions"

Batman Sundays (New Years!)

Holiday Flashback–New Years Style!

2011 Recap!

Christmas Recap!

Christmas Print Clearance!

Batman Sundays (Christmas!)

Christmas Eve!

Holiday Flashback - Christmas Style!

Celeb Roundup!

Oh how Pinteresting… Christmas Style!

Our Christmas Card!

Giveaway Winner!

Free Shipping Day

Batman Sundays: Brothers!

UPrinting Stickers Giveaway!

Calling all Ugly Sweaters!

GIVEAWAYS

The stockings were hung…

***GIVEAWAY WEEK!***

Batman Sundays

Batman Sundays (Thanksgiving Edition)

Cyber Monday Sale Starts Early!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Santa - I KNOW HIM!

We're Still Alive...

Batman Sundays

Winners, Winners, Chicken Dinners!

New Etsy Facebook Page!

Batman Sundays (Halloween)

Halloween Recap!

Shutterfly Holiday Card Giveaway!

Earth-Shattering Celeb News!

Holiday Flashback Day 7 (Happy Halloween!)

Holiday Flashback Day 6 (Batman Sundays)

Happy Birthday, Ad!

Holiday Flashback Day 5

Holiday Flashback Day 4

Happy Birthday, D!

Holiday Flashback Day 3

Holiday Flashback Day 2

Celeb Round Up!

Holiday Flashback Day 1

Week in Review

NYC Weekend Recap!

Batman Sundays

NYC Weekend Plans!

Monster Winnings

Fall Weekend Recap

Batman Sundays

Fun Weekend Plans!

Wedding Weekend Recap!

Weekend Recap!

Weekend Recap?

Batman Sundays

Weekend Plans!

Alex & Ani

Batman Sundays

Winner & Anniversary Weekend!

Batman Sundays

Happy Anniversary!

GIVEAWAY WEEK!